Material recovery and capture device for atomized material delivery apparatuses

ABSTRACT

A recovery and collection assembly for an atomized material inhalation device is provided. The recovery and collection assembly includes an outer tubular housing and an input tube. The outer tubular housing includes a sidewall defining an outer chamber, an upper end piece attached to an upper end of the sidewall, and a lower end piece attached to a lower end of the sidewall. The lower end piece has at least one air flow opening allowing fluid communication between an interior of the outer chamber and an atmosphere surrounding the outer tubular housing. The input tube extends through the lower end piece and has a first end in fluid communication with the atomized material inhalation device. The input tube also has a second end disposed in an upper half of the outer chamber and in fluid communication with the outer chamber and defines an inner chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of priority from Provisional U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 61/965,937, filed Feb. 11, 2014, the contents ofwhich are incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to nebulizers for inhalation ofatomized materials, and more specifically to systems and methods forrecovering material during administration of atomized materials using anebulizer.

BACKGROUND

Related art nebulizers, or other aerosol medication deliveryapparatuses, provide a constant flow of atomized materials during normaloperation. However, the user of a nebulizer can only take in theatomized materials during inhalation. During the user's exhalation, therelated art nebulizers continue to provide atomized materials, but thesematerials are lost to the atmosphere when they are not inhaled by theuser.

For example, during a normal respiration cycle, about 50% of the timemay be spent inhaling and about 50% of the time may be spent exhaling.Depending on the material being provided in the related art nebulizers,this material lost to the atmosphere can represent a significant wasteof material and money. For example, some medications provided viarelated art nebulizers can cost upwards of $250 per dose and a patientmay be on a treatment protocol receiving multiple doses each day, over acourse of months or years. If up to 50% of the medicine is being lostwhen every dose is being administered, thousands of dollars of wastedmedicine may be lost to the atmosphere each year.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the example implementations may be directed to methods andsystems to collect and recover atomized materials during non-inhalationphases of nebulizer treatments.

Aspects of the present application may include a recovery and collectionassembly. The recovery and collection assembly includes an outer tubularhousing and an input tube. The outer tubular housing includes a sidewalldefining an outer chamber, an upper end piece attached to an upper endof the sidewall, and a lower end piece attached to a lower end of thesidewall. The lower end piece has at least one air flow opening allowingfluid communication between an interior of the outer chamber and anatmosphere surrounding the outer tubular housing. The input tube extendsthrough the lower end piece and has a first end in fluid communicationwith the atomized material inhalation device. The input tube also has asecond end disposed in an upper half of the outer chamber and in fluidcommunication with the outer chamber and defines an inner chamber.

Aspects of the present application may also include an atomized materialinhalation device. The atomized material inhalation device may include amaterial chamber, an air source, a flow passage connecting the airsource to the material chamber; and a recovery and collection assembly.The recover and collection assembly includes an outer tubular housingand an input tube. The outer tubular housing includes a sidewalldefining an outer chamber, an upper end piece attached to an upper endof the sidewall, and a lower end piece attached to a lower end of thesidewall. The lower end piece has at least one air flow opening allowingfluid communication between an interior of the outer chamber and anatmosphere surrounding the outer tubular housing. The input tube extendsthrough the lower end piece and has a first end in fluid communicationwith the material chamber. The input tube also has a second end disposedin an upper half of the outer chamber and is in fluid communication withthe outer chamber and the input tube defines an inner chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A general structure that implements the various features of thedisclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. Thedrawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrateexample implementations of the disclosure and not to limit the scope ofthe disclosure. Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are reused toindicate correspondence between referenced elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a first example implementationof the recovery and collection assembly.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view illustrating the first example implementationof the recovery and collection assembly.

FIGS. 3A and FIG. 3B are side views of the first example implementationof the recovery and collection assembly.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are front and rear views, respectively, of the firstexample implementation of the recovery and collection assembly.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are top and bottom views, respectively, of the firstexample implementation of the recovery and collection assembly.

FIG. 6 illustrates an air flow diagram within the first exampleimplementation of the recovery and collection assembly during a userinhalation.

FIG. 7 illustrates an air flow diagram within the first exampleimplementation of the recovery and collection assembly during a userexhalation.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of the first example implementation ofthe recovery and collection assembly connected to a nebulizer and checkgate mouthpiece.

FIG. 9 illustrates a side view of a second example implementation of therecovery and collection assembly.

FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of the second example implementation ofthe recovery and collection assembly connected to a nebulizer and checkgate mouthpiece.

FIG. 11 illustrates an air flow diagram within the second exampleimplementation of the recovery and collection assembly during a userinhalation.

FIG. 12 illustrates an air flow diagram within the second exampleimplementation of the recovery and collection assembly during a userexhalation.

FIG. 13 illustrates a side view of an example implementation of a checkgate mouthpiece in a closed position.

FIG. 14 illustrates a side view of an example implementation of a checkgate mouthpiece in an opened position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter described herein is taught by way of exampleimplementations. Various details have been omitted for the sake ofclarity and to avoid scaring the subject matter. The example shown beloware directed to structures and functions for implementing systems andmethods for recovering material during administration of atomizedmaterials using atomized material inhalation devices such as nebulizers.Some example implementations may be directed to recovery and collectionassemblies for use with atomized material inhalation devices (e.g.nebulizers) to store the atomized materials produced by the nebulizerduring user exhalation. When the user next inhales the user may receiveatomized materials recovering collected in the assembly plus newmaterial provided by the nebulizer.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a first example implementationof the recovery and collection assembly 100. FIG. 2 is an exploded viewillustrating the first example implementation of the recovery andcollection assembly 100. The recovery and collection assembly 100includes an outer tubular housing formed by a tubular sidewall 5 and apair of end caps or end pieces 2, 6 attach at opposite ends of thetubular sidewall 5. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the end pieces 2, 6 mayslide over the ends of the tubular sidewall 5 to form a chamber withinthe tubular sidewall 5. However, example implementations of the presentapplication are not limited this configuration and may be formed by theend pieces 2, 6 being inserted into the tubular sidewall 5 to form thechamber, or may simply be attached to the end via various attachmentmechanisms (such as welding, adhesive, mechanical interface, etc.) asmay be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. For referencepurposes the chamber formed within the tubular sidewall 5 may bereferred to herein as the outer chamber.

In some example implementations, the end pieces 2, 6 may be sealed tothe tubular sidewall 5 by one or more of a gasket, an adhesive, acaulking compound, or any other sealing mechanism as may be apparent toa person of ordinary skill in the art to prevent any liquid or gas fromleaking out. Further, the end pieces 2, 6 and tubular sidewall 5 may beformed from one or more of a plastic material, a composite material, aresin material, a ceramic material, a glass material, a metallicmaterial, a nonmetallic material, or any other material as may beapparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

One end piece 2 may be formed with one or more air flow openings 4extending there through to allow fluid communications between the areasurrounding the recovery and collection assembly 100 and the outerchamber formed within the tubular sidewall 5. The other end piece 6 maybe formed with no openings or passageways to block any fluidcommunication between the area surrounding the recovery and collectionassembly 100 and the outer chamber formed within the tubular sidewall 5.

Further, an input tube 3 may be inserted or penetrated through the endpiece 2. The input tube 3 may have a first end 13 located within theouter chamber formed by the tubular sidewall 5 and a second end 14located outside of the outer chamber formed by the tubular sidewall 5.The input tube 3 may form an inner chamber. Further, the second end 14may be attached to a joint member 1, which may form a connection portconfigured to fluidly communicate with an atomized material inhalationdevice (e.g. a nebulizer) as discussed in greater detail below. In someexample implementations, the joint member 1 may be an L-shaped elbowjoint as illustrated. However, example implementations the presentapplication are not limited to this configuration and may have otherconfigurations as may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in theart.

In some example implementations, the input tube 3 may be sealed to theend piece 2 by one or more of a gasket, an adhesive, a caulkingcompound, or any other sealing mechanism as may be apparent to a personof ordinary skill in the art to prevent any liquid or gas from leakingout. Additionally, the joint member 1 may also be sealed to the secondend 14 of the input tube 3 using similar sealing mechanisms to thosediscussed above. The input tube 3 and the joint member 1 may be formedfrom one or more of a plastic material, a composite material, a resinmaterial, a ceramic material, a glass material, a metallic material, anonmetallic material, or any other material as may be apparent to aperson of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are side views of the first example implementationof the recovery and collection assembly 100. Further, FIG. 4A and 4B arefront and rear views, respectively, of the first example implementationof the recovery and collection assembly 100. During operation of someexample implementations, the recovery and collection assembly 100 may beoriented such that the end piece 6 is an upper end piece 6 and the endpiece 2 is a lower end piece 2 as illustrated in these figures. In suchexample implementations, the openings 4 are formed in the bottom surfaceof the lower end piece 2 (end piece). Additionally, the input tube 3 andthe joint member 1 may also be inserted through the bottom surface ofthe lower end piece 2 as illustrated.

Additionally, the first end 13 of the input tube 3 may be positioned sothat it is in an upper half of the chamber formed by the tubularsidewall 5. As discussed in greater detail below the placement of thefirst end 13 in an upper half of the chamber may affect retention ofatomized material within the recovery and collection assembly. In someexample implementations, the joint member 1 may be in elbow jointoriented to provide a horizontal opening in a forward direction.However, example implementations of the present application are notlimited this configuration and may take on alternate configurations asmay be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 5A and 5B are top and bottom views, respectively, of the firstexample implementation of the recovery and collection assembly 100. Asillustrated, the recovery and collection assembly 100 may be formed witha generally circular cross-section. More specifically, the tubularsidewall 5, and the end pieces 2, 6 may have circular cross-sections.Further, the input tube 3 may also have a circular cross-section and bepositioned at an approximate radial center of the end pieces 2, 6 andthe tubular sidewall 5.

FIG. 6 illustrates an air flow diagram within the first exampleimplementation of the recovery and collection assembly 100 during a userinhalation phase. In FIG. 6, the reference numerals have been removed toaiding visualization of the airflow 15. As illustrated, the airflow 15travels into the chamber formed by the tubular sidewall 5 through theopenings 4 formed in the bottom of the end piece 2. The airflow 15 thentravels upward through the chamber formed by the tubular sidewall 5 andenters the upper end 13 of the input tube 3. The airflow 15 then travelsdownward through the input tube 3, and out of the recovery andcollection assembly 100 through the joint member 1 toward the atomizedmaterial inhalation device 7 (not illustrated in FIG. 6, illustrated anddiscussed in greater detail below).

FIG. 7 illustrates an air flow diagram within the first exampleimplementation of the recovery and collection assembly 100 during a userexhalation. In FIG. 7, the reference numerals have been removed toaiding visualization of the airflow 15. As illustrated, the airflow 15travels from the atomized material inhalation device 7(not illustratedin FIG. 7, illustrated and discussed in greater detail below) into therecovery and collection assembly 100 through the joint member 1. Theairflow 15 then travels from the joint member 1 upward through the inputtube 3 and out the upper end 13 into the chamber formed by the tubularsidewall 5. The airflow 15 then travels downward through the chamberformed by the tubular sidewall 5 and out through the openings 4 formedin the bottom of the end piece 2.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of the first example implementation ofthe recovery and collection assembly 100 connected to an atomizedmaterial inhalation device 7 and check gate mouthpiece 8. Asillustrated, a T-joint 16 is attached to the joint member 1 of therecovery and collection assembly 100. The T-joint 16 has a branchedstructure and connects to an atomized material inhalation device (e.g. anebulizer) 7. A check gate mouthpiece 8 is also connected to the T-joint16.

The check gate mouthpiece 8 may include a check gate valve 9 formed withby a valve member 11 and a biasing member 10 configured to hold thevalve member 11 in a closed position. The check gate mouthpiece 8 isdiscussed in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 13 and 14.

The atomized material inhalation device 7 is not particularly limited orlimited to the configuration illustrated herein and may be any atomizedmaterial inhalation device that may be apparent to a person of ordinaryskill in the art. As the structure and operation of an atomized materialinhalation device 7 is not particularly limited a detailed discussion ofthe structure and operation thereof is omitted. Generally, an atomizedmaterial inhalation device 7 includes a material chamber 20 connected bya flow passage 21 to an air source 22 such as an oxygen cylinder, arespirator, ventilator, or any other air source that may be apparent toa person of ordinary skill in the art. The air source 22 provides avolume of air, which passes through a portion of material to be atomizedin the material chamber 20 causing the material to be dispersed andatomized. In the example implementation illustrated in FIG. 8, theatomized material would pass out of the atomized material inhalationdevice 7 into the T-joint 16, where the atomized material can be inhaledby a user through the check gate mouthpiece 8. When the user exhales anyexcess atomized material can be blown into the chamber formed by thetubular sidewall 5 via the airflow 15 illustrated in FIG. 7 where it canbe held until a subsequent inhalation. During a subsequent inhalationthe excess atomized material within the chamber formed by the tubularsidewall 5 can be drawn back into the T-joint 16 by the airflow 15illustrated in FIG. 6 and inhaled by the user.

Various aspects and features of example implementations of a recoveryand collection assembly 100 have been discussed with reference to FIGS.1-8 above. However, example implementations of the present applicationare not limited to aspects and features illustrated in FIGS. 1-8.

FIGS. 9-12 illustrate a second example implementation of a recovery andcollection assembly 200. Aspects and features of the second exampleimplementation may be similar to the aspects and features of the firstexample implementation discussed above and similar reference numeralsmay be used to identify similar features. FIG. 9 illustrates a side viewof a second example implementation of the recovery and collectionassembly 200. This second example implementation of the recovery andcollection assembly 200 also includes an outer tubular housing formed bya tubular sidewall 5 and a pair of end caps or end pieces 2, 6 attach atopposite ends of the tubular sidewall 5. As illustrated, the end pieces2, 6 may slide over the ends of the tubular sidewall 5 to form a chamberwithin the tubular sidewall 5. However, example implementations of thepresent application are not limited this configuration and may be formedby the end pieces 2, 6 being inserted into the tubular sidewall 5 toform the chamber, or may simply be attached to the end via variousattachment mechanisms (such as welding, adhesive, mechanical interface,etc.) as may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Forreference purposes the chamber formed within the tubular sidewall 5 maybe referred to herein as the outer chamber.

Additionally, the recovery and collection assembly 200 also includes aside flow port 12 extending from the tubular sidewall 5. The side flowport 12 may fluidly connect the interior of the chamber formed by thetubular sidewall 5 with the area surrounding the recovery and collectionassembly 200. Further, as discussed in greater detail below, a checkgate mouthpiece 8 may be attached to the flow port 12 as illustrated inall FIG. 10. In some example implementations, the side flow port 12 mayhave a circular cross-section. However, example implementations of therecovery and collection assembly 200 are not limited to thisconfiguration and the flow port 12 may have other cross-sectionalconfigurations as may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in theart.

In some example implementations, the end pieces 2, 6 may be sealed tothe tubular sidewall 5 by one or more of a gasket, an adhesive, acaulking compound, or any other sealing mechanism as may be apparent toa person of ordinary skill in the art to prevent any liquid or gas fromleaking out. Further, the end pieces 2, 6 and tubular sidewall 5 may beformed from one or more of a plastic material, a composite material, aresin material, a ceramic material, a glass material, a metallicmaterial, a nonmetallic material, or any other material as may beapparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

One end piece 2 may be formed with one or more openings 4 extendingthere through to allow fluid communications between the area surroundingthe recovery and collection assembly 200 and the outer chamber formedwithin the tubular sidewall 5. The other end piece 6 may be formed withno openings or passageways to block any fluid communication between thearea surrounding the recovery and collection assembly 200 and the outerchamber formed within the tubular sidewall 5.

Further, an input tube 3 may be inserted or penetrated through the endpiece 2. The input tube 3 may have a first end 13 located within theouter chamber formed by the tubular sidewall 5 and a second end 14located outside of the outer chamber formed by the tubular sidewall 5.Further, the second end 14 may be attached to a joint member 1, whichmay be configured to attach to an atomized material inhalation device7(e.g. a nebulizer) as discussed in greater detail below. In someexample implementations the joint member 1 may be a linear joint asillustrated. However, example implementations the present applicationare not limited to this configuration and may have other configurationsas may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

In some example implementations, the input tube 3 may be sealed to theend piece 2 by one or more of a gasket, an adhesive, a caulkingcompound, or any other sealing mechanism as may be apparent to a personof ordinary skill in the art to prevent any liquid or gas from leakingout. Additionally, the joint member 1 may also be sealed to the secondend 14 of the input tube 3 using similar sealing mechanisms to thosediscussed above. The input tube 3 and the joint member 1 may be formedfrom one or more of a plastic material, a composite material, a resinmaterial, a ceramic material, a glass material, a metallic material, anonmetallic material, or any other material as may be apparent to aperson of ordinary skill in the art.

As illustrated, during operation of some example implementations, therecovery and collection assembly 200 may be oriented such that the endpiece 6 is an upper end piece 6 and the end piece 2 is a lower end piece2 as illustrated in these figures. In such example implementations, theopenings 4 are formed in the bottom surface of the lower end piece 2(end piece). Additionally, the input tube 3 and the joint member 1 mayalso be inserted through the bottom surface of the lower end piece 2 asillustrated.

Additionally, the first end 13 of the input tube 3 may be positioned sothat it is in an upper half of the chamber formed by the tubularsidewall 5. As discussed in greater detail below the placement of thefirst end 13 in an upper half of the chamber may affect retention ofatomized material within the recovery and collection assembly. In someexample implementations, the joint member 1 may be a linear jointoriented to provide a vertical opening in downward direction. However,example implementations of the present application are not limited thisconfiguration and may take on alternate configurations as may beapparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Though not illustrated in FIG. 9, the recovery and collection assembly200 may be formed with a generally circular cross-section, similar tothe cross-section of the recovery and collection assembly 100 in FIGS.5A and 5B above. More specifically, the tubular sidewall 5, and the endpieces 2, 6 may have circular cross-sections. Further, the input tube 3may also have a circular cross-section and be positioned at anapproximate radial center of the end pieces 2, 6 and the tubularsidewall 5.

FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of the second example implementation ofthe recovery and collection assembly 200 connected to an atomizedmaterial inhalation device 7 and check gate mouthpiece 8. Asillustrated, an atomized material inhalation device (e.g. a nebulizer) 7is attached directly to the lower end of the joint member 1. Further, acheck gate mouthpiece 8 is attached to side flow port 12 extending fromthe tubular sidewall 5.

As illustrated, the check gate mouthpiece 8 may include a check gatevalve 9 formed with by a valve member 11 and a biasing member 10configured to hold the valve member 11 in a closed position. The checkgate mouthpiece 8 is discussed in greater detail below with respect toFIGS. 13 and 14.

The atomized material inhalation device 7 is not particularly limited orlimited to the configuration illustrated herein and may be any atomizedmaterial inhalation device that may be apparent to a person of ordinaryskill in the art. As the structure and operation of an atomized materialinhalation device 7 is not particularly limited a detailed discussion ofthe structure and operation thereof is omitted. Generally, an atomizedmaterial inhalation device 7 includes a material chamber 20 connected bya flow passage 21 to an air source 22 such as an oxygen cylinder, arespirator, ventilator, or any other air source that may be apparent toa person of ordinary skill in the art. The air source 22 provides avolume of air, which passes through a portion of material to be atomizedin the material chamber 20 causing the material to be dispersed andatomized. Additionally, the atomized material provided by the atomizedmaterial inhalation device 7 is also not particularly limited and mayinclude medicines and other compounds capable of being delivered to auser via an atomized material inhalation device 7 (e.g. a nebulizer).For example, the atomized material making may include Leukine®,Albuterol, Mucomyst®, Tobramycin, Levalbuterol, or any other atomizedmaterial that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

In the example implementation illustrated in FIG. 10, the atomizedmaterial would pass out of the atomized material inhalation device 7into the joint member 1, where the atomized material would flow upwardthrough the input tube 3 and into the chamber formed by the tubularsidewall 5. When the user is not inhaling, the valve member 11 remainsin a closed position and the atomized material remain in the chamberformed by the tubular sidewall 5 (via the airflow 17 illustrated in FIG.11 below) where it can be held until a subsequent inhalation. When auser inhales, the valve member 11 opens and the atomized material withinthe chamber formed by the tubular sidewall 5 can be drawn through theside flow port 12, into the mouth piece 8 (by the airflow 17 and theairflow 18 illustrated in FIG. 12, below) and inhaled by the user.

FIG. 11 illustrates an air flow diagram within the second exampleimplementation of the recovery and collection assembly 200 before a userinhalation phase. In FIG. 11, the reference numerals have been removedto aiding visualization of the airflow 17. As illustrated, the airflow17 travels from the joint member 1 through the input tube 3, out theupper end 13 and into the chamber formed by the tubular sidewall 5. Theairflow 17 then travels downward through the chamber formed by thetubular sidewall 5 and out the openings 4 formed in the lower end piece2.

FIG. 12 illustrates an air flow diagram within the second exampleimplementation of the recovery and collection assembly 200 during a userinhalation. In FIG. 12, the reference numerals have been removed toaiding visualization of two airflows 17 and 18. As illustrated, thefirst airflow 17 travels from the joint member 1 through the input tube3, out the upper end 13 and into the chamber formed by the tubularsidewall 5. The first airflow 17 then travels downward through thechamber formed by the tubular sidewall 5, through the side flow port 12and into the mouth piece 8 to be inhaled by the user. Further, a secondairflow 18 travels upward from the openings 4 formed in the lower endpiece 2 through the side flow port 12 and into the mouth piece 8 to alsobe inhaled by the user. In some example implementations, the firstairflow 17 may carry the atomized material from the atomized materialinhalation device (e.g. Nebulizer) 7 through the recovery and collectionassembly 200 to the mouthpiece 8. Further, the second airflow 18 maybring additional atmospheric air into the mouthpiece 8.

FIG. 13 illustrates a side view of an example implementation of a checkgate mouthpiece 8 in a closed position and FIG. 14 illustrates a sideview of the example implementation of the check gate mouthpiece 8 in anopened position. As illustrated, the check gate mouthpiece 8 includes acheck gate valve 9 which selectively blocks fluid flow through the checkgate mouthpiece 8. The check gate valve 9 includes a valve member 11 anda biasing member 10. The valve member 11 is configured to be operablebetween a closed position (illustrated in FIG. 13) and an open position(illustrated in FIG. 14). The valve member 11 may be configured to blockfluid flow into the check gate mouthpiece 8 in the closed position.

The biasing member 10 may provide a biasing force to the valve member 11and urge the valve member 11 toward the closed position (illustrated inFIG. 13). Further, the valve member 11 may move into an open position(illustrated in FIG. 14) in response to an external force, such as anegative pressure generated by a user inhalation through the check gatemouthpiece 8.

In the example implementation illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14, the valvemember 11 may be a hinged member configured to rotate about a fixedpoint between the closed position of FIG. 13 and the open position ofFIG. 14. Further, the biasing member 10 may be a torsion springconfigured to provide a torque to the valve member 11 to urge the valvemember 11 toward the closed position of FIG. 13. However, exampleimplementations of the present application are not limited to thisconfiguration and may have alternate configurations as may be apparentto a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the valve member11 may be a linear valve or ball valve and the biasing member 10 may bea linear spring, for example.

Example implementations of the present application may allow a costsavings and/or allow more effective treatment by collecting andrecovering atomized materials during nebulizer treatments. For example,the average time between the inhalation and exhalation of a person isapproximately seven seconds. In this seven second span, an exampleimplementation of a recovery and collection assembly may allow for therecovery and concentration of atomized materials in amounts that willremain are available to the user during a subsequent inhalation. Whenthe nebulizer is used alone, the atomized material provided by thenebulizer may be lost to the atmosphere between the inhalations by theuser. These losses could be up to 50% of the atomized material providedby the nebulizer. By using a recovery and collection assembly accordingto an example implementation of the present application, the atomizedmaterial losses to the atmosphere may be reduced from 50% to 20%depending on the health and lung strength of the user.

As discussed above, some treatments provided via nebulizers can cost$250 or more per dose, with a patient receiving multiple doses every dayover the course of months or years. A recovery and collection assemblyaccording to an example implementation of the present application mayallow a user to receive more atomized materials per dose with improvedefficiency, less waste, and reduced costs. Though one or more of thesepositive outcomes may be achieved through the use of a recovery andcollection assembly according to an example implementation of thepresent application, example implementations of the present applicationneed not achieve these or any other positive outcomes and should notlimit the scope of the claims provided here with.

While certain example implementations have been described, these exampleimplementations have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the protection. Indeed, the novelapparatuses described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in theform of the systems described herein may be made without departing fromthe spirit of the protection. The accompanying claims and theirequivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as wouldfall within the scope and spirit of the protection.

What is claimed is:
 1. A recovery and collection assembly for anatomized material inhalation device, the recovery and collectionassembly comprising: an outer tubular housing, the outer tubular housingincluding a sidewall defining an outer chamber; an upper end pieceattached to an upper end of the sidewall; and a lower end piece attachedto a lower end of the sidewall, the lower end piece having at least oneair flow opening allowing fluid communication between an interior of theouter chamber and an atmosphere surrounding the outer tubular housing;an input tube extending through the lower end piece, the input tubehaving a first end in fluid communication with the atomized materialinhalation device, and a second end disposed in an upper half of theouter chamber and in fluid communication with the outer chamber, theinput tube defining an inner chamber; a joint member attached to thefirst end of the input tube, the joint member defining a connection portconfigured to fluidly communicate with the atomized material inhalationdevice; and a mouthpiece attached to the joint member and in fluidcommunication with the outer chamber, the mouthpiece having a gatevalve, which selectively controls fluid communication between themouthpiece and the outer chamber.
 2. The recovery and collectionassembly according to claim 1, wherein the gate valve comprises a hingedmember and a biasing member configured to bias the hinged member towarda closed position.
 3. The recovery and collection assembly according toclaim 1, wherein the connection port is disposed between the mouthpieceand the first end of the input tube.
 4. The recovery and collectionassembly according to claim 1, wherein the sidewall further comprises aflow port allowing fluid communication between the interior of the outerchamber and the atmosphere surrounding the outer tubular housing.
 5. Therecovery and collection assembly according to claim 4, furthercomprising a mouthpiece attached to the flow port and in fluidcommunication with the outer chamber, the mouthpiece has a gate valveselectively controlling communication between the mouthpiece and theouter chamber.
 6. The recovery and collection assembly according toclaim 5, wherein the gate valve comprises a hinged member and a biasingmember configured to bias the hinged member toward a closed position. 7.An atomized material inhalation device comprising: a material chamber;an air source; a flow passage connecting the air source to the materialchamber; and a recovery and collection assembly, the recovery andcollection assembly comprising: an outer tubular housing, the outertubular housing including a sidewall defining an outer chamber; an upperend piece attached to an upper end of the sidewall; and a lower endpiece attached to a lower end of the sidewall, the lower end piecehaving at least one air flow opening allowing fluid communicationbetween an interior of the outer chamber and an atmosphere surroundingthe outer tubular housing; an input tube extending through the lower endpiece, the input tube having a first end in fluid communication with thematerial chamber, and a second end disposed in an upper half of theouter chamber and in fluid communication with the outer chamber, theinput tube defining an inner chamber; a joint member attached to thefirst end of the input tube, the joint member defining a connection portconfigured to fluidly communicate with the atomized material inhalationdevice; and a mouthpiece attached to the joint member and in fluidcommunication with the outer chamber, the mouthpiece having a gatevalve, which selectively controls fluid communication between themouthpiece and the outer chamber.
 8. The atomized material inhalationdevice according to claim 7, wherein the gate valve comprises a hingedmember and a biasing member configured to bias the hinged member towarda closed position.
 9. The atomized material inhalation device accordingto claim 7, wherein the connection port is disposed between themouthpiece and the first end of the input tube.
 10. The atomizedmaterial inhalation device according to claim 7, wherein the sidewallfurther comprises a flow port allowing fluid communication between theinterior of the outer chamber and the atmosphere surrounding the outertubular housing.
 11. The atomized material inhalation device accordingto claim 10, further comprising a mouthpiece attached to the flow portand in fluid communication with the outer chamber, the mouthpiece has agate valve selectively controlling communication between the mouthpieceand the outer chamber.
 12. The atomized material inhalation deviceaccording to claim 11, wherein the gate valve comprises a hinged memberand a biasing member configured to bias the hinged member toward aclosed position.